The Scorpion and the Frog
by beargirl1393
Summary: Sherlock is the scorpion; John is the frog. John reflects on his friendship with Sherlock after The Fall, beginning with a child's fable. But then, their life has been likened to a fairytale before.


"_It's just my nature," said the scorpion to the frog._

Out of all the things I've learned over the years, it's sad that Aesop's fables are the most relevant to my life at this moment. I'm sitting in my chair at Baker Street, trying to figure out why…and then I start thinking about Aesop's bloody fables.

"_How do I know you won't sting me?"_

_The scorpion replies, "Because I would die too."_

_The frog is satisfied and they set out._

Isn't it funny? One little fable for kids, that's all it takes. If I would have remembered this, I doubt I would have decided to flatshare with the arrogant wanker. The naïve little frog, willingly helping the scorpion, with only his word that he wouldn't get hurt. Well, we all know how that turns out.

_But in midstream, the scorpion stings the frog._

_The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink._

_He knows they will both drown, but he has enough time to ask, "Why?"_

Damn scorpion! If the bloody thing was half as smart as it was supposed to be, it wouldn't have stung the frog. But no, what does the bloody thing do? It stings the frog, drowning them both! What an idiotic thing to do! And his excuse, can you call it an excuse?

"_It's just my nature," said the scorpion to the frog._

I can just picture the smug bastard saying that. God! At least picturing him as a scorpion is better than remembering how he looked falling…hitting the pavement…God, the blood…No! Don't think about that! Think about that bloody scorpion. He lied to the frog. Well…he never lied. The frog asked how he knew the scorpion wouldn't sting him, the scorpion told him that they would both die if he stung the frog. He never said that he cared if he died or not. God, that scorpion is just like Sherlock. Bloody git never cared how much danger he was in. The day after I met him I had to shoot a cabbie to stop him from taking a possibly poisoned pill for Christ's sake! No, the bloody git never cared about his own skin.

_He knows they will both drown, but he has enough time to ask, "Why?"_

"_It's just my nature," said the scorpion to the frog._

At least the frog was able to ask why. Why did he do it? I would kill to ask Sherlock that. Why did he jump? Did he honestly think that I would believe he was a fake? Did he think that there was no other way? Was he just trying to avoid boredom permanently? No, there had to be another reason. Maybe Moriarty. That bastard's dead, thankfully. The Yard is trying to say that Sherlock killed him before…but Moriarty's prints are the only ones on the gun. The maniac killed himself, with Sherlock right behind him. If Moriarty was already dead, why did Sherlock still jump? I don't think normal people ask this sort of question when they read Aesop. Hell, normal people don't rare around London after their sociopathic flatmate chasing killers for the Yard. I stopped caring about normal a while ago. I hate how boringly normal my life is now.

"_Why?"_

"_It's just my nature."_

I could almost believe that; that Sherlock would off himself with no regard for anyone else, but I know better. I saw him at the end; I had to WATCH! I saw him crying, Sherlock, crying. I knew then that I couldn't stop him, but it didn't stop me from trying. I wonder if he knew that we were both doomed, or if he thought he was doing me a favor. If he thought that, then he was even more of an idiot than I thought he was. That was what I said to him, after everything was over with the cabbie. I told him he was an idiot. He didn't expect that. It made him laugh; he didn't laugh enough. Around me, he laughed a lot more. No one else bothered to see who he was, besides the genius consulting detective. Even he didn't think he was anything more than that. He probably would have believed that he was the scorpion in this tale. But, I remember. I remember him showing up in Buckingham Palace in nothing but a sheet and laughing with me about it. I remember him showing me the ashtray he nicked, just because I had mentioned it. I think we still have the damn thing, even though he doesn't smoke anymore. I remember him apologizing to me for insulting me after he freaked out in Dartmoor. He called me a 'conductor of light'. Sherlock was good at backhanded compliments. I also remember how he wouldn't leave me to Moriarty at the pool. I remember that he did everything in his power so that I didn't get in trouble with the police when he ran. Those are examples of things that no one would expect from Sherlock Holmes, the heartless sociopath.

"_It's just my nature."_

Sherlock would never let nature win.

* * *

Full fable:

_A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream, and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on his back._

_The frog asks, "How do I know you won't sting me?"_

_The scorpion says, "Because if I do, I will die too."_

_The frog is satisfied and they set out, but in midstream, the scorpion stings the frog. The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they will both drown but has just enough time to ask, "Why?"_

_Replies the scorpion, "It's just my nature…"_


End file.
